Moments before the crocodile shaman is dragged below the surface by a crocodile. Photo: Video screengrab

Suprianto, a man claiming to be a pawang buaya (a shaman who supposedly has supernatural control over crocodiles), died after a suspected crocodile attack in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, on Saturday.

Suprianto dived into the croc-infested waters of the Muara Jawa estuary to look for the body of a man named Arjuna, who witnesses said had been attacked by the scaly beasts while he was bathing in the water the day prior.

Tragically, Suprianto is also believed to have become the victim of a crocodile attack while he was in the water. Police say that witnesses saw him getting dragged below the surface while he was swimming and chanting mantras.

(WARNING: Video may be disturbing for some viewers)

“We have recovered the two (bodies) on Sunday. The shaman (Suprianto) was found floating in Muara Jawa at 9:40pm. His body is still whole,” said Kutai Kartanegara Police Chief Fadillah Zulkarnaen, as quoted by Detik today.

“I think he was dragged by a croc under the water and then ran out of oxygen. From the pictures I’ve seen, his body is still intact, his arms and legs are still there.”

Likewise, Arjuna’s corpse is also still intact.

This would be the second crocodile attack in Kalimantan in recent months. In July, a crocodile “returned” the body of a man it had killed the day before after supposedly answering a crocodile shaman’s summoning (that particular shaman did not dive into the water).